COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Conference play shifts into high gear this
weekend for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team as they hit
the road for the infamous trip up to "Death Valley" to take on
Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky in the first two OVC match-ups
of 2011.

Tech – which hasn't been on the road since December
4th – is riding a two game win streak, having
recently downed Crowley's Ridge College and Bluefield College at
home. They'll kick off the Death Valley trip with an even 6-6
overall record, 2-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

With the second and third leading scorers in the conference,
Kenneth Faried, Demonte Harper and the Morehead State Eagles will
be heading into Thursday evening's game on the heels of three
straight wins over Kent State, Binghamton and the College of
Charleston. They will, however, be looking to bounce back from two
straight pre-Christmas OVC losses to Austin Peay State University
and Tennessee State.

The two losses dropped the Eagles from a 2-0 OVC record to an
even 2-2 record, and leaves them with a 9-6 overall record headed
into Thursday's 6:45 p.m. contest.

MSU – which holds the no. 6 spot in the OVC currently
– enjoys a narrow lead in the lifetime series against Tech,
having taken the W in 70 games to TTU's 61. The Golden Eagles are
looking to snap a six-game string of losses to the Eagles,
including last year's season-ending loss in the OVC tournament.

Saturday will take the Golden Eagles to Richmond, Ky., to tip
off against the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. With a 6-8
overall record, 1-3 in the OVC, EKU has lost four of its past five
games, including two losses to – like Morehead State –
Austin Peay and TSU. The Colonels – who are sitting in eighth
place in the conference – are, however, riding a win over
Georgia Southern into their own Thursday night game against OVC
opponent Jacksonville State.

EKU also holds a narrow 62-58 lead on the lifetime series
against Tech, and have won the past five contests against the
Golden Eagles.

Fans who are unable to trek to Kentucky for this weekend's
contests can follow listen to Roger Ealey call the action on the
Golden Eagle Sports Network, or on free Teamline at 1-800-846-4700
(Tech code 0654). As always, tickets are available through the TTU
Ticket Office by calling (931) 372-3940 or online at
TTUsports.com.